A new £2 million ($2.7 million) data center in Nottingham, England, is ofefring to host approximately 2,500 servers.

Space Data Centers said it invested in the new Basford facility because supply of high quality data centers in Nottingham is low, and because it sees data centers as a good long-term investment, Nottingham Post reports.

The facility will provide cloud storage services, and is housed within the offices occupied by Space’s affiliated companies, InPhase International and Retroscents.

Demand for data centers in Nottingham is high, according to Space sales director Gary Digva
Nottingham – Thinkstock/ Poohz

Building a case for data investment

The data center was opened after two years of construction work, development and testing, and has already signed up hundreds of customers, the company said.

Gary Digva, sales director at both InPhase and Retroscents, explained the thinking behind the project: “We were looking at investing into various businesses and the data center industry seemed really interesting.

“We’ve invested years of research into producing a data center which can host high-density equipment and lower costs and with a flexible footprint, and we’re delighted to be able to create a number of new jobs to boost the local economy.

“Data is ever-growing – we’re never going to run out of data. It’s about building for the future and creating a stable business that will always be in high demand.”

EU compliance

The new facility has obtained ISO 27001 industry accreditation for information security, in compliance with the UK Data Protection Act, and meets the EU Code of Conduct for green data centers. It is also categorized as a Tier Three facility by the Telecommunications Industry Association.

The site features three independent power supplies, cold aisle containment, very early smoke detection and suppression systems, and high-speed connectivity.

“Many companies have to keep records for six years for legislation so every year demand is going to double,” Digva said. “We need to be pushing data as a business idea because the demand is there in Nottingham.”

A spokesman for East Midlands Chamber of Commerce added: “Nottingham has always been at the forefront of driving innovation through the use of technology and has already forged a strong reputation in the sector, through the provision of centers such as this one, to companies such as Chilwell-based 2bm, which design, build and fit them out.”